Seriously- end the Gagne Experiment now, and for good.

Easy scapegoat, I know. Javy Lopez and even Jon Lester struggled, as did Gagne. Poor bullpen management following on the heels of a starter given the hook in the 5th did the Sox in tonight. Curt fully owned up in his postgame press conference to his role in the loss -- when you can't get five (!) innings out of your starter, and you force your bullpen to cover 6+ innings of ballgame, you're rarely going to be happy with the results. Schilling took the blame all on his shoulders.

There were some beautiful moments, the back-to-back homers and the spectacular Coco diving catch in particular, and some beautiful pitching - Okajima and Papelbon were stunning.

No one predicted this series would be done in 4, so really, we're just back to a best-of-5 faceoff (albeit with Cleveland now having homefield advantage). Our guys now should have no fear of Sabathia or Carmona, and Cleveland has shown their weakness for hitting the off-speed pitch (which Dice-K and Wake, not to mention Beckett, are more than capable of delivering). Tito was thoroughly unfazed in his postgame press conference, which is exactly what you want to see- mindful of the loss, respectful of the game Cleveland played, but still focused on winning and with the right mindset to carry that out.

Bring on Monday, bring on Cleveland at the Jake, bring it on.

Since there's no ALCS baseball being played today to soothe us, let's distract ourselves with shiny happy pretty things, shall we? Let's start with this:

Josh Beckett + football = two great tastes that taste great together

Next up: Manny being Manny... back in his days of wearing a uniform that actually fit him. Some cute little video snippets of Manny in his Cleveland days. Manny in an afro wig? Awesome.

And speaking of Manny, how about this cute photo? Isn't he soft and snuggly, giving Cleveland's Jhonny Peralta a hug? What you don't see is that he's totally using the hug as cover to plant a bug in Jhonny's clothes, so that the Sox can spy on the Indians. Or so the guys can listen in and learn the best places to go out and party in Cleveland. Manny: THE HUGGING ASSASSIN.

AP photo

LOTS more shiny happy pretty things after the jump...

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I'm hitting the road again, this time for Cleveland (my first time to the Jake!) to go to the Sox-Indians games tonight and tomorrow. I am simultaneously thrilled and terrified. It's going to be a wild ride, and I can't wait.

I'm going to try to post from the wilds of Ohio, but I'll leave you with these things, just in case.

First up, the neatest idea for a video I've seen in a while: the Boston Globe set up a still camera to take time-lapse photos of the pitcher's mound throughout Game 1 of the ALCS, and then they turned those photos into a video. With "Black Betty" as the soundtrack. Seriously cool.

And because y'all asked for it:

You can buy them at the Center Field Store -- and they're all at cost, I'm not making any money on them. If anyone has ideas for other shirts you want to see, shoot me an email.

Worst. Ballpark. Experience. Ever.

For a small taste of the "atmosphere" at the Jake last night, go see what one of my fellow Ladies... wrote (credit to TSW for the picture, too). We'll write up more later about what happened, if we make it out of this city alive.

Cleveland fans: making Yankee fans look classy and rational.

UPDATE: Here's the full report on Game Three. Thank god Game Four was better.

Without a doubt, my Baseball Boyfriend of the Day goes to Jon Lester- who valiantly battled through the Indians lineup and managed to be the one bright spot in an otherwise fairly dark sky.

I wish I could say that the back-to-back-to-back homers gave me hope that we were turning it around, that we would come from behind and take the W-- but that would be a lie. Because as special as it was to see a feat like that in person, the circumstances didn't really allow those of us Sox fans there to enjoy it. And any slim, teeny, miniscule sliver of hope that burgeoned was quickly extinguished as the next 3 batters retired in order... and then was completely stomped out when we couldn't score in the next inning, either.

Sitting through that fifth inning was brutal. Like a good little soldier, I kept scoring the game throughout the whole debacle- and few things are more painful to a baseball fan than having to move over to the next column to continue scoring the inning, because the other team has batted around (and then some). That Youkilis juggling act was right in front of me, and Dustin Pedroia had the same look of horror on his face that I did as we both watched him bobble and drop that ball. The diving missed catch by Coco was heartbreaking. And the E5- oh, lord, the E5- that earned a loud and raucous round of "YOUK!" cheers from the crowd... the ones in Indians garb.

When JD Drew's batting average is better than Mike Lowell and Dustin Pedroia, things are not right with the world.

Going into Monday's game, it was as though we were back to square one in a best-of-5 series. Now we're down to a three game stand, but it's do or die. All or nothing. We absolutely must sweep our opponent, or it's the end of the line.

Lucky for us, we happen to have an ace up our sleeve.

We have plenty of time to worry about game 6 and game 7 later.

Wake's binky turns 37 years young today, and you know what would make an EXCELLENT birthday gift? I can think of one thing in particular- something that Josh and the rest of the team could giftwrap for Dougie Fresh later this evening... and I'm not talking about chicken parm.

Manny: (in Manny-speak, that special language of Manny's own invention that only Papi, Lugo and L'Monstro can understand) Hah, hah, man- you are not gonna believe the stunt I pulled today.

Josh: [ stares off into the distance, slowly chews ]

Manny: Remember when I grandstanded during my homerun last night just to give those Cleveland folks something to chew on? That really brought the haters out. That was hilarious. But this is funnier, I swear.

Josh: [ spits tobacco juice, wrinkles up nose and squints ]

Manny: So I thought to myself, "Self, you haven't really said anything lately to work ESPN and everyone else up into a tizzy. Your showboating around the bases trick is getting old. You need to really give people a nice meaty quote. You know, something they can spin to their own advantage- because you just know that 95% of the media will spin it in the most negative way possible. You are Manny, after all." And you know what I did next?

Josh: [ crosses arms, makes a sour face ]

Manny: This! And those suckers totally took the bait! Now everyone can pull out the old tired "Manny being Manny" routine, and ESPN and their flunkies can take my words out of context, picking and choosing which part of the interview they'll show, and use them to work everyone up into a frenzy. How awesome is that? I mean, everyone outside New England was just waiting to hate on me anyway after my airplaning in game 2 of the ALDS- but they couldn't very well do that since I'd hit a walkoff homer. I thought gesturing to the Cleveland crowd last night would do it, but only Yankee and Indians fans really seemed to care. This should really do it, don't you think? I'll be damned if T.O. is gonna corner the market on lockerroom hilarity.

Josh: Just gotta execute pitches. Throw fucking strikes.

Manny: Huh?

Josh: Oh, hey, Ramirez. Didn't see you there. I was just practicing all my different press conference techniques. It may be an off-day, but that doesn't mean I'm not out here fine-tuning my skills, man. Hey- pretend to be a reporter and ask me to compare the '07 Sox to the '03 Marlins. I've only heard that one 547 fucking times this offseason- I need to come up with a new facial expression that tells them I am both bored with their bullshit and pissed off at their existence at the same time.

Manny: Que?

Josh: Dude- you know I never learned Spanish in high school, man - I cut too many classes 'cause I was out cow-tipping.

So you'd like to ask Dustin Pedroia about the Red Sox needing a "spark"? Or about his postseason batting average? He's got some answers for you. I LOVE THIS GUY.

So last Friday, I put together a little (virtual) something for the guys right before Game 1. Considering the results of games 2, 3 & 4, I thought maybe it was time to revisit the gift basket idea. Only this time, I've added your suggestions to the mix. If this works, I'm not afraid to post a gift basket before each game... so comment if you've got any suggestions for other items we can add.

It's almost go time. And I can think of no guy I'd rather have lead the charge than this guy.

His stuff is nasty dirty, and when he lays a beautiful curve down over the plate it's like catching a quick glimpse of nirvana. He's not hampered by memories of the past, but he is locked in to what took him to the endgame before. He's the guy who is stone-faced and lethal on the field, and a chatterbox of a teammate in the dugout. He takes little credit for his own successes, and is the first to jump over the dugout fence to celebrate the success of one of his teammates or to step up and take up for fellow pitcher who he feels is getting the short stick. He busts his ass, going above and beyond (witness that he was one of just SIX players who showed up to the optional workout on Sunday, after getting in after 5am that morning) and is not satisfied so long as there is one pitch he could have thrown better, one out he could have gotten sooner, one batter he could have sat down quicker. He's unflappable in the face of pressure, and he's unfailing in his desire to win. Hell, not just win but SHUT THOSE OTHER MOFOS DOWN. He's the kid phenom who morphed into a World Series MVP and then grew up to be a man of resolve and the ace of a team.

He's brash and cocky and dominating and committed and fierce and competitive and firey and otherworldly talented and aces ... and thank the heavens, he is ours.

Here's a couple of videos for firing up the blood, Josh-style.

And just because I never tire of seeing Josh in a cowboy hat with a big shiny belt buckle:

(and if the Indians think a cheap publicity tactic like hiring his ex-girlfriend to sing the national anthem is going to rattle him, they have got another thing coming)

"Kind of the motto in the clubhouse right now is, 'It's better to die on your feet than live on your knees.'" --Josh Beckett

This team is not going to go down without a fight. Or, at least a benches-clearing altercation that doesn't actually involve any punching but does involve a small-ish 40 year-old man trying to act like he's going to rumble with a guy 13 years his junior who towers over him and outweighs him by at least 35 pounds. (note I said "act like" - because if Kenny wanted to fight Josh, he had all the time and room in the world to do so. Instead, he strided towards Josh and then slowed up just enough to make sure someone stepped in between them first.)

Enough of that (for now- video of the whole thing in the next post), let's get back to this guy:

It was nice of Josh to allow the Indians to come out and play on his field tonight, because make no mistake, that was HIS field. The sign over the entrance may have said "Jacobs Field", but inside it was nothing but "Beckett's Property". He also generously gave the Indians and their fans one inning's worth of hope, and one run to cling to. But that's it. Otherwise, all he had for them were strikeouts (ELEVEN- plenty to go around) and nasty pitches. Oh, and attitude- no Beckett victory would be complete without that. David Ortiz said it best when he told reporters, "He is the best pitcher I've ever seen in the playoffs -- ever."

He didn't miss many pitches tonight. I noticed one in the bottom of the eighth against Travis Hafner, as Josh was closing in on the end of his time on the mound. On a 1-0 count, after shaking off Varitek twice, Beckett nodded and Tek set up low and away. The pitch that followed was low and in- so far inside, Hafner had to hop backwards to avoid getting pegged in the shins. Josh stepped forward to grab the ball thrown back to him by Tek, and as he turned to walk back, his eyes rolled skyward in disgust at himself. Back on the mound as he started to turn around to set up again, he also delivered a short little cussfest at himself for the poor execution. As fun as it is to watch Josh's beautiful pitching, it's just as entertaining to watch him when he misses- not only because it's a rare occurrence, but also because his reaction to a poor pitch is precisely why he delivers so few of them.

And the bats were on fire as well- except Coco Crisp, who went 0-for-5 on the night (which is probably why Tito Francona finally appears to be caving on his hardline stance against altering the lineup... and is now making noises like we'll see Jacoby Ellsbury in the starting lineup tomorrow). From the beginning of the game, on offense and defense, there was just a whole different feel than in the previous games. I'm sure credit for part of that goes to Josh- knowing he was going to start sure made me feel more confident about our chances, and I'm guessing his teammates felt the same way.

Now it's back to Fenway. Where, as Manny Ramirez puts it, "the magic is."

Josh will be more than happy to show you the horns, Kenny Lofton.

photo credit: David Richard

I love the look in Josh's eye there. Kenny may be wild, but Josh would squash him like a bug- and he's giving Kenny a look like he can't decide whether to punch him in the face or point and laugh at his stupidity.

First up, the video of the whole incident, from start to finish.

The homeplate ump was mic'ed up for the game, and here's video showing what he said when he stepped in between Kenny and Josh:

This wasn't the first time Josh has gotten into it with Kenny for his bat-flipping antics at the plate. Here's video of their confrontation back in 2005 when Josh played for the Marlins and Kenny played for the Phillies. Eck compares Josh's no-bullshit attitude on the mound to that of Nolan Ryan (my hero!), who also refused to put up with showboaters back in his day.

"Yeah... [Josh, Nolan,] Roger Clemens... they're all from Texas."

"It's this Texas thing!"

As for the publicity stunt by the Indians PR department of using an ex-girlfriend of Josh's to sing the anthem-- it spectacularly backfired in their faces. Josh downplayed the whole thing in his postgame press conference, but Jonathan Papelbon was a little more candid about the incident in his postgame lockerroom interview for WBZ- even acknowledging that the guys had discussed the situation between them:

"I think they made a mistake in waking a sleeping giant over here in this clubhouse... You know, I don't know if they have a bad PR department over there or if they just couldn't find anybody else to sing the national anthem. I mean it's kind of ironic that we're [in the city with the] Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, and somebody like Danielle Peck sings the national anthem. I figure you could get somebody better than that."

"You just don't do those kinds of things. You wake a sleeping giant? There's gonna be some consequences and repercussions, that's for sure."

Speaking of Josh's postgame press conference, here's video of the whole thing- including the F-bomb that went out live on NESN. You would think they would have learned their lesson by now, and never ever put Josh on live, but apparently not. Also: WHY IS IT SUCH EARTH-SHATTERING NEWS THAT JOSH CUSSED ON-AIR? I've seen all kinds of people posting the video of Josh, and getting all in a tizzy about him dropping the Fbomb, like it's some new thing or something. Stop the presses-- Josh cussed on live TV! Folks: he does this all the time, it ain't nothing new. And this isn't even the worst cuss-fest he's had on live TV this year! Oh, and this is hopefully better quality than what's circulating, too - it's not a video of me filming the TV screen or anything.

Here's the roundup of all the other bits and pieces from Thursday night. I of course have to give some major love to my favorite Sox player who doesn't actually play for the Sox. He's as much a part of the team now as ever, even though he suits up for a division rival, which is quite an accomplishment. For delivering this rally cry before the game, and for generally being awesome and hilarious and grinder-y every day of the year, I gotta give my Baseball Boyfriend of the Day honors to Kevin Millar. How he manages to stay employed by the Orioles, when I'm pretty positive he shows up to practice wearing Red Sox gear, is beyond me.

And then there's Manny. Dear, sweet, wonderful, amazing, astonishing, unbelievable Manny. The kerfluffle over his comments on Wednesday amazes me- not because it surprises me that people overreacted, but because what he said was absolutely the truth and I can't believe people would freak out about it. If ballplayers stressed out about the game like the fans do, they'd never survive. They'd be a ball of shivering goo in the corner of the clubhouse. They have to disengage and step back and keep it in perspective. Doesn't mean they're not busting their butts. Doesn't mean they don't really, really want to win. They just can't make it a life and death matter, or they'd go insane.

So after Thursday night's win, Manny once again spoke to the press, to the shock and horror of Remy and Eck (Remy puts his head in his hands, saying, "Oh, no" while Eck repeats, "No! No!"). As befits his status as the King Of All He Surveys, Manny held court in the locker room wearing an obscenely loud Barney-purple tie while Julio Lugo holds a mic in his face and then chows down on dinner right next to him. One of the mob of reporters asks Manny about the homerun that wasn't a homerun, and he replies, "I thought it was out, but what can I say." Papi is sitting nearby, and hears this ticking time bomb of a question and walks over and grabs at Manny's hand and tries to pull him away, saying, "That's it. I don't want you to fuck up again." And then the whole group, Manny included, busts out into laughter -- while Lugo jokingly admonishes Manny, "Don't say nothing else!" It's such a warm, unguarded moment between teammates- and also between Manny and the monster called the "press" that often tries to get after him.

Papi also busts in on the interview a second time, but comes armed with a mic to bust on Manny about his outfit. "Hey, everybody wants to know... where's the funeral?" And more Manny laughter before he responds (about that awful purple tie), "I'm trying to take this tie to Colorado." Manny, my dear, I think all of Red Sox Nation will be happy to have you in purple ties as long as your heart desires if that gets us to a Wednesday matchup next week.

And finally, I can't go without acknowledging the in-game entertainment provided by the pirates of the Black Pearl. First, the national TV audience is introduced to the musical stylings of the Manny Delcarmen Bullpen Band (and it looks like they added a little special twist just for Doug Mirabelli, maybe as a birthday gift). Then Jonathan Papelbon is shown doing the "Y.M.C.A." along with the PA as he does his warmup runs in the bullpen. And the clip closes out with an encore rendition of the bullpen band, this time a solo virtuoso performance by Mr. Delcarmen.

I LOVE THIS TEAM.